Any woman can be an entrepreneur. After working with startup businesses for years, I know this. However, if you want to be a chic entrepreneur you have to combine style with industriousness. Chic Entrepreneur’s are a rare and powerful commodity. They tend to be in the 10% of startup businesses that actually succeed. Why you ask? That’s because a Chic Entrepreneur knows what she’s doing and acts like it.
She is classy and always on top of her business game. Chic Entrepreneur’s know that to be successful in today’s tough business climate they have to provide unique value to the market, have a strategic plan, wow customers and inspire employees, ante up the necessary startup costs and turn those costs into a waterfall of cash flow.
You can be a Chic Entrepreneur, too. You can even start in your spare time. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? If you want to be a Chic Entrepreneur, you need to have a business idea and you have to make sure that it is realistic and unique. Business is all about providing unique value to the market. Making sure that your business idea is unique requires research and creativity. Chic Entrepreneurs dare to be different.
A marketing strategy is a must for every business, small and large. You cannot expect your business to be successful if you don’t have a focused marketing strategy. You need to know how you are going to get the word out. When you’re just starting out marketing involves networking to generate referrals and word-of-mouth advertising. Marketing doesn’t have to be in a brochure, it can be everywhere. The Chic Entrepreneur is always, always networking. Later on in the business life cycle, it may involve other kinds of advertising. If you can, pay for professional advice on how to best market your business. Many experts that specialize in marketing strategy will offer you a free consultation and this can help get you pointed in the right direction, as well as help you determine if paying for more of their advice would be worth it. If you can’t afford this advice, take a crash course in it yourself. Read a book on marketing, research your industry, your target market and other top performing companies. Learn as much as you can about your business on your own. Then, put all the information you have into a business plan. This plan is your roadmap on the journey to entrepreneurial success. It is a guide but also an evolving entity. As things change, be flexible enough to notice and change your strategy or tactics to adjust to market feedback as your business grows and changes.
The next step in becoming a Chic Entrepreneur is forming an actual business. You are not a Chic Entrepreneur if you just have an idea and are sitting on it. There are dreamers and doers in this world – and the Chic Entrepreneur is both. She dreams of what could be and then she gets off her behind and makes it happen. Forming a business involves choosing an attractive business name that is inspiring, says what your product or service is and sells it. Choose something that has meaning for you and for your target market. People want to buy from a company that they trust, respect and admire. Ask for the advice of your friends and acquaintances as a test market, but make sure that they are similar in thinking and decision making to your ideal target market. After you have chosen a brilliant business name, register your business with your state secretary, and purchase a domain name. Then get out there and sell. Entrepreneurs must be enterprising, which means marked by imagination, initiative, and readiness to undertake new projects. Once you have your strategy it is time to get out there and make something happen. If you want people to come knock on your door, start shouting from the hilltops to let them know you are there.
Once you have officially made the leap to entrepreneurship, it is time to become chic. Being chic is about how you carry yourself, your attitude, your beliefs about yourself and others, and the choices you make. It’s not about the clothes you wear or the style of your hair, however, Chic Entrepreneur’s dress for the job that they want, not the job that they have. Being chic also means paying for the things that are necessary like decent business cards (they don’t have to be top of the line, but they can’t come straight off of your old printer either). These things cost a bit of money, but the chic entrepreneur knows that money well spent will have a return on the investment; that is what business is all about. Being chic is about being smart, having integrity, providing excellent value, striving for personal excellence and being willing to do what it takes to win. Do that and you will be a Chic Entrepreneur with a bright future.
Now you’re on your way to becoming a successful Chic Entrepreneur. It’s a lifetime pursuit and oftentimes not easy, but take it from me, it’s worth the hard work. For more information about how you can become a Chic Entrepreneur, visit www.chicentrepreneur.com.
